]]>fca@funerals.org (Josh Slocum)Your Legal RightsMon, 23 Jul 2012 19:33:26 +0000Informed Consent: What You Should Know When Donating Your Bodyhttp://www.funerals.org/forconsumersmenu/your-legal-rights/46-your-legal-rights/589-bodytisseconsent
http://www.funerals.org/forconsumersmenu/your-legal-rights/46-your-legal-rights/589-bodytisseconsentRecently, more consumers have become interested in whole body donation to entities that make body parts, organs, and tissue available for research, bio-product development, and demonstration of new devices. A crucial element of this donation process is the informed consent of the family, which should, at an absolute minimum, include a voluntary decision based on full disclosure of the facts. To facilitate a fully informed decision, Funeral Consumers Alliance offers the following background and informed consent recommendations for consideration.

In more than half the states, there is a statutory obligation for survivors to honor the written wishes of the deceased, to follow your personal preference. In a few states, your wishes may be over-turned in the case of cremation, however. Even if there is no personal preference law in your state (blank entry below), it is better to have your wishes in writing than not at all. Courts routinely support all but the most outrageous wishes.

]]>fca@funerals.org (Josh Slocum)Your Legal RightsFri, 07 Dec 2007 20:50:18 +0000Caring for Your Own Deadhttp://www.funerals.org/forconsumersmenu/your-legal-rights/caring-for-your-own-dead
http://www.funerals.org/forconsumersmenu/your-legal-rights/caring-for-your-own-deadIt's here! Final Rights: Reclaiming the American Way of Death will be published June, 2011, but Funeral Consumers Allianceis shipping copies now ahead of bookstores! Final Rights is the definitive book on the modern funeral industry. Written by FCA executive director Josh Slocum and Funeral Ethics Organization leader Lisa Carlson, Final Rights combines journalistic investigation with practical consumer advice. The only book of its kind, Final Rights unveils the tricks of the funeral trade (and how to avoid them) while calling out government regulators who dance to the $15-billion death industry's tune when they're supposed to be protecting you, the funeral consumer.

In eight states the law says you have to hire a funeral home, even if you want to care for deceased relative privately.]]>

No one is perfect, including funeral directors and cemeterians. We all make mistakes. If you are dissatisfied with your funeral or cemetery experience, try to settle your concerns with those involved first. That's how you would want to be treated, if it were your business.

Write down everything from the minute you feel you might have a complaint, to make sure you record details while they're fresh in your mind. If another person is with you and shares your concerns, ask that person to write down what happened, too. Sometimes that person will remember additional helpful information. Be sure to date all of your notes. Write down the names of everyone you deal with, even if it is just a first name or a description of what the person looked like. Keep a log of all phone conversations including who said what. If you are reading this some time after events occurred, stop and write down everything you remember right now.